Year 20, Day 416 (Nebula Rocket Carrying Fertilizer Launches for Kerbitat One!)

A Nebula Rocket that had been prepared for a Crew Vehicle launch is quickly retrofitted with an experimental new payload: the DSV Supply Craft! Designed to carry a versatile payload to the bay of Horizon Class DSVs, delivering fertilizer to Kerbitat One should be a good first test!

The Nebula Rocket blasts off!

The payload detaches, and the first stage turns around and heads back to KSC! The DSV Supply Craft continues it’s launch to orbit!

The spacecraft approaches Kerbitat One

… and docks!

Back at Spacedock, Aurora 26 departs for Kerbitat One!

“Hopefully that fertilizer does the trick!”
-Edan

Edan brings Aurora 26 into alignment with Kerbitat One, and docks!

“Looks like a good connection! Let’s get that fertilizer transferred over too!”
-Gilian

The Kerbals begin unloading the payload from the service vehicle, and Samner studies the plants. The crew waits patiently… until after many hours have passed….

“It’s working! It’s working! The plants are growing! I had to use water from our crew vehicle to start the processes, but it looks like it’s going! That means we’ll need to leave before long, but there should be enough water to run the greenhouse for a while!”
-Samner

After the successful mission, the crew begins preparations for heading home!

Year 20, Day 400 (Kerbitat One Evacuated!)

After weeks trying to grow food, the Aurora 26 crew are ordered to evacuate the station before life support runs out!

“Dang! I thought for sure all these plants would need is some light! Maybe if we added some fertilizer?”
-Samner

“Maybe… but you’d think they’d need water too!”
-Gilian

“Well, I think we’d all think better with some snacks in our bellies! Let’s head back to Spacedock until KSEA can send up some supplies!”
-Edan

Thankfully, Kerbitat One’s orbit is very close to Spacedock – Edan pilots Aurora 26 to the station…

…and docks!

“Now we wait!”
-Edan

Year 20, Day 365 (Aurora 26 Launches Carrying Kerbitat Greenhouse Experiment!)

Aurora 26 blasts off from the Space Center, carrying Edan, Samner, and Gilian to orbit!

This Aurora mission will launch Kerbitat One into orbit, testing the feasibility of a greenhouse in space for long term habitation of other worlds!

The Sarnus V carries the Kerbitat Module and the Aurora Crew Vehicle higher and higher….

Until the fairing separates, and circularizes it’s orbit!

“Good launch everyone! Let’s get our Spacedock Rendezvous underway!”

Aurora 26 and Kerbitat One arrive at Spacedock and reach station keeping 500 meters away!

“Ok -starting docking and transposition maneuver….”

“Looks like a good connection! Nice!”

Kerbitat One deploys it’s solar panel arrays, and the crew starts getting comfortable!

Year 13, Day 158 (Intrepid Returns Crews to Kerbin from Kerbin Spaceport!)

With the return of Explorer 5 and the test flight of Discovery the Kerbin Spaceport has gotten very crowded! Edan, Bill, Orlas, Glenica, and Sean all board CTS-3 Intrepid!

Have a good flight – you soon!”
-Gene

Edan undocks from the Spaceport, and uses RCS thrusters to reach a safe distance from the station! Gilian, Shepely, and Seely remain on the station, conducting the vitally important scientific research that must certainly occur there.

Come back soon! Bring more snacks! “
-Shepely

Intrepid fires its engines to de-orbit… then detaches the service pod that holds cargo (and provides for solar power!)

Hold on everyone! Things are about to get pretty hot!”
-Edan

Intrepid soars through the atmosphere, occasionally usings its airbrake system to slow its decent.

Once past the mountains west of the Space Center, Edan makes the final manuevers to line up for a landing!

“Edan to Mission Control… Intrepid is in the pipe, five by five!”
-Edan

Intrepid touches down on the runway!

A perfect landing! The tired Kerbals exit the Crew Shuttle to rest up for their next mission – Intrepid is recovered and undergoes minor repairs and the standard recovery process to get it ready for its next flight!

Year 7, Day 393 (Endeavor Launches To Check on CryoLab!)

screenshot233.pngEndeavor blasts off!

screenshot234.pngMirphe and Gilian are heading up to the new CryoLab to make sure the crew is doing ok! screenshot237.png

Mirphe pilots Endeavor in slow and carefully toward CryoLab!

screenshot238.png

“Almost there!”

-Mirphe

screenshot239.png

Mirphe docks Endaevor successfully, and Gillian hops out for an EVA to inspect the station from the outside.

“Things look out from the outside… we’ll have to get inside and make sure everything’s fine there too!

-Gilian

 

screenshot241.png

“CryoLab checks out!  All systems are fully functional and life signs for Bob, Shepely, and Lluly are faint but within desired specifications!”

-Gilian

screenshot244.png

“OK then – let’s head back to Kerbin and let these guys chill until their 100 days is up!”

-Mirphe

screenshot247.png

Endeavor rockets throught Kerbin’s atmosphere!

screenshot248.png

“Whew!  That was a fast landing!  Endeavor took a little damage!  We’ll need a little repairs before she flies again!”

-Mirphe

KSEA agrees that it might be time to look at improving the Crew Shuttle’s rentry control systems and upgrade a few other systems while there at it!  A Crew Shuttle refit might be on the way!

Year 7, Day 139 (Resolute Blasts Off for KSS!)

screenshot49.pngMirphe, Gilian, and Sean launch in the Resolute on a service mission to the KSS!

screenshot52Resolute (which was recently given nifty navigational lights) is the first of two Heavy Cargo Shuttles operated by KSEA.  Due to a planning oversight on Station Life Support a Heavy Cargo Shuttle was chosen to carry an emergency life support mission to the station!

“This payload is pretty heavy, there won’t be any room in the fuel budget to spare this mission!”

-Mirphe

screenshot56.pngThankfully Resolute eventually arrives the station… and not a moment too soon!

“Wow – I forget how big the Heavy Cargo Shuttle is until I see it up next to the Kerbin Space Station – these are some large spacecraft being docked!”

-Mirphe

screenshot57.png

Success!  Resolute docks with the KSS, at the Utility Docking Port!  Station Crew immedeatly start moving supplies over to the station.

“Nice docking Mirphe!”

-Jeb

screenshot60.png

Resolute undocks, leaving the supply module attached to the station.

screenshot63.png

“Time to head home – call the Space Center if that module gives you any trouble!”

-Sean

screenshot67.png

Resolute screams through the clouds, heading toward the Space Center!

screenshot68.png

“Going pretty fast! Hold on everyone, this might be a bumpy landing!”

-Mirphe

screenshot69.png

Resolute touches down, and at the last moment veers slightly off the landing strip!

screenshot70.png

“Hmph!  Almost a perfect mission!”

-Mirphe

 

Year 5, Day 422 (Unity Space Station Landing on Farside Crater, Munar Canyons!)

LandingMapMun

Luly and Kerlorf prepare to head down in the (very) delayed USS-LS03 landing!  Both the Farside crater and the Munar Canyons will be investigated! screenshot1740.png

The Unity Research Lander undocks, and heads down to the surface!

screenshot1748.png

Luly watches as Kerlorf plants the flag at the Farside crater landing site!

“It’s time to head over to those canyons!”

-Luly

screenshot1756.png

Luly and Kerlorf land at the Munar Canyons and take readings – both are getting pretty exhausted, especially Luly!  A future Aurora mission is being planned to swap the crew out!

screenshot1760.png

The lander heads back to orbit, then sets course for Unity Space Station!

“Fuel on this one is very, very tight.  I think future landings we should keep it to just one landing… no jumps!  This isn’t Minmus afterall!”

-Luly

The next crew for the Unity Space Station is slated to be Robart and Gilian – both have experience landing on Minmus, but this will be their first time on Mun!

 

 

Year 4, Day 348 (Harmony Research Lander Returns to Station!)

screenshot1253.pngKimmy and Gilian return to Harmony Space Station!  They’ll rest for a few days before the next landing.

“There’s so much interesting science to find here on Minmus!  Building a station was really smart, we don’t have to have a big Sarnus V launch every time we want to check something out!”

-Kimmy

 

“Yea, but rocket launches are pretty exciting…”

-Gilian

Year 4, Day 325 (Next Harmony Space Station Mission Planned!)

MinmusHSSLS02.png

The next landing site for the Harmony Science team is announced!  This mission will primarally focus on site A, the Poles, and site B, the Highlands.  If fuel is available, and the team deems it safe, a third landing will be performed at site C, the Flats.

Planners are optomistic, but a landing at the poles has never been tried before, so they want to play it safe! Kimmy and Gilian will head down to Minmus very soon!

Year 4, Day 296 (Harmony Space Station Upgraded, Harmony Crew Rotation)

screenshot1157.png

The RCS Refuelling Mission to Harmony Station above Minmus arrives!

screenshot1162.png…and docking goes surprisingly uneventfully!

Looks like a good seal!   This will give Harmony plenty of monopropellant fuel for future missions – good work everybody!

-Gilian

screenshot1163.pngSamner and Robart prepare to head home… (Robart takes the long way, enjoying an EVA before heading home) while Gilian and Kimmy prepare for the next Harmony Space Station landing!  Scientists are still figuring out the best location for HSSLS02!

screenshot1164.pngSamner, Val, and Robart head home!